...Ross Hudson Hartsock February 10th 2014 Comparison Essay of the Birth Stories of Matthew and Luke There are not many similarities in the stories of the birth of Jesus in Matthew and Luke, but there are some. In both stories an angel of The Lord visits one of his parents in a dream and tells them what is going to happen and to not be afraid for this is what God has said for you to do. Each angel said in the dreams that you are to name the son Jesus and he will bring his people out of slavery and lead them to God. Both stories also have an angel visiting other people to tell them of the birth of Jesus and that they should go and worship him and to tell other people what has happened. Also in both stories the angel tells the people that there's is a star and that they should fallow the star and there they will find the Son of God. There are a lot of differences in the stories. For one in Matthew it is from Joseph's point of view and it tells you how he had a dream of angel coming to see him and the angel tells him not to be afraid and exactly what to do about the situation. In Luke it is from Mary's point of view and the angel that visits her in the dream explains why she was chosen and how she will have the baby. In Matthew the people that are also visited by an angel are called the Three Wise Men, they are told to go see the child and to bring him gifts and to worship him. They also are visited again by an angel and told not to report back to King Herod for he is...
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...7 BARTIMAEUS (Mark 10:46-52) The story of Bartimaeus is an experience of the healing power of faith that leads to discipleship. It begins in identification with the humiliation of a blind beggar sitting in the dust. It ends with his sight restored as he follows Jesus on the way up to Jerusalem. In a unique way, this story concretizes the power of the faith of persons who are oppressed by physical or mental handicaps, patriarchal social structures, racial discrimination, and economic systems over which they have no control. It is an invitation to allow our own personal and communal humiliation to be seen in the context of Bartimaeus's faith in Jesus as the Christ. The Story And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great multitude, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" And many rebuked him, telling him to shut up. But he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" And Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; rise, he is calling you." And throwing off his mantle he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" And the blind man said to him, "Master, let me receive my sight." And Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight...
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...good people becomes unavoidable. The Bible provides examples of the question through the suffering of Jesus Christ in his crucifixion, written in the book of John, as well as the trials placed on Job, where God tests his righteousness in the Old Testament. Although most of their losses are relatively the same, the purpose behind their stories are distinctly different from each other. Job, who unexpectedly witnesses his possessions being stripped from him, approaches his situation much differently than Jesus who acts more accepting of his situation. The idea of suffering may easily become intolerable, though these two major stories of Job and Jesus teaches individuals to have a deeper insight on how to deal with unbearable conditions. The suffering that both Job and Jesus face easily allows them to question their faith towards God for watching their pain to progress. The character of Job is introduced as a wealthy man with many possessions and described as “blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” (Job 1:8). Job is tested as he is stripped of his herd of animals, and his numerous children, causing him to grieve and still says, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” (Job 1:20) In the second chapter, he is inflicted with physical pain from “the soles of his feet to the crown of his head” (Job 2:7). In comparison, Jesus’ suffering begins as he is captured by the Romans who decide his crucifixion. In front of a crowd,...
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...Comparison of Book of John versus Quran – Chapter 4, Al Nisa, Women The purpose of this paper is to provide my layman’s comparison of The Book of John from the Bible and Chapter 4, Al Nisa, Women of the Quran. My primary impression of the two books are that they are vastly different in how they read. The Book of John reads like a story, a narrative per say while Chapter 4 of the Quran reads much like a legal document or contract. The two books are very different and deliver very different messages to the reader. The Quran, Chapter 4 focus’ on women, it outlines their rights and their obligations. This chapter covers subjects such as a woman’s rights, how orphans are to be treated, inheritance, their obligations, modesty, behavior, tremendous and unparalleled sins, ethical issues, weapons, polygamy and men’s superiority over them. Female orphans can marry their guardian, if they wish. She is entitled to her fair dower. However, if she has poor relatives then they should be present at the time her inheritance is disbursed so that they may claim a share of it, that way they are not disappointed. If a woman is not an orphan and inherits from a family members death there is a very distinct division of property. Women (daughters) are entitled to a one-sixth share. A man (sons) would receive the equivalent of two sisters, or one-third. If an adult child dies and has no heirs then the parents inherit their property, one-third to the mother, two-thirds to the father. There are...
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...Compare and Contrast: Buddhism and Christianity Comparative Religions, HUMN 448 Buddhism and Christianity are both popular religions with many followers, and both have had an impact on the history of the world. While these religions have both subtle and drastic differences, they also have similarities of the same manner. To see these similarities, we will compare and contrast three sets of articles. The first is an examination of the early lives of both the Buddha and Jesus. The second set is a comparison of “The Lost Son” parables, and the third set is a comparison of the Buddha’s last words and the interpretation of Jesus’ death in the book of Acts. These examinations of Buddhism and Christianity will help to show just how similar the two religions are, for all their differences. First, we examine and analyze the early lives of the Buddha and Jesus. For the early life of the Buddha—the beginning of his mission—we turn to a story called “The Four Passing Sights.” For the beginning of Jesus’ mission, we read Mark 1:1-13. The Buddha began life as Siddhartha, son of a king. At his naming ceremony, priests foretold that he would grow to be either 1) a world ruler if he followed his father’s footsteps; or 2) a world teacher if he were exposed to the sight of suffering. And so Siddhartha was kept in the palace, surrounded by servants and finery, and was never exposed to the world outside. He asks his father’s permission to go to a nearby park, and his father allows him after...
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...Luke Genre: Gospel Key themes: Christ as Man/ record of the life of Jesus. Key events: Announcement of the birth of Jesus, Announcement of the birth of John the Baptist by the angel Gabriel, Jesus’ miraculous conception, the ministries of Jesus and John the Baptist. Major personalities: Jesus, the disciples, John the Baptist, Elizabeth, Mary, Mary Magdalene, Zechariah, Herod the Great, and Pilate. Luke starts by the angel Gabriel announcing the births of John and Jesus. We are told of John the Baptist’s ministry and how he comes to baptize Jesus. We are lead through the life of Jesus and His ministry. Jesus tells His stories of the prodigal son, the Good Samaritan and the rich man and Lazarus, and through these stories we are shown His compassion and forgiveness. While Jesus is teaching, the religious leaders are plotting against Him. Jesus is betrayed, tried and crucified. He is placed in the tomb and rises three days later. He came back to the disciples “And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.”(Luke 24:45) and then parts from them and is carried up into heaven. Acts Genre: Narrative Major personalities: Peter, Paul, and the other apostles, although they play little or no role. Key theme: The work of the Holy Spirit in the early history of Christianity. Key Events: Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus and Paul’s three missionary journeys (13:1–21:16), his trials in Jerusalem and Caesarea (21:17–26:32) and his final...
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...Chapter Assignment 1 Template Name: Liberty University Email Address: Assignment 1-1: Select five translations that we talked about in this chapter. Select a passage from the Bible (it must be at least two verses long) and write out how the translations render this passage. Next, mark or highlight the differences among the five translations. Write a paragraph summarizing what you have observed by comparing the translations. (p.38) (10 Points) 1 Corinthians 10:13 Translations Used: NLT, KJV, NIV, NKJV and ESV NLT – 1 Corinthains 10:13 the temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. KJV – 1 Corinthains 10:13 there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. NIV – 1 Corinthains 10:13 no temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. NKJV – 1 Corinthians 10:13 no temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with...
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...life of Jesus. Some of the key events of this book are the announcement of the birth of Jesus as well as the birth of John the Baptist by the angel Gabriel, Jesus’ miraculous conception, the ministries of Jesus and John the Baptist. Some of the major personalities are Jesus, the disciples, John the Baptist, Elizabeth, Mary, Mary Magdalene, Zechariah, Herod the Great, and Pilate. Luke starts by the angel Gabriel announcing the births of John and Jesus. We are told of John the Baptist’s ministry and how he comes to baptize Jesus. We are lead through the life of Jesus and His ministry. Jesus tells His stories of the prodigal son, the Good Samaritan and the rich man and Lazarus, and through these stories we are shown His compassion and forgiveness. While Jesus is teaching, the religious leaders are plotting against Him. Jesus is betrayed, tried and crucified. He is placed in the tomb and rises three days later. He came back to the disciples “And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.”(Luke 24:45) and then parts from them and is carried up into heaven. Acts The book of Acts is basically narrative in genre. Some of the prominent personalities of the book of Acts are Peter and Paul and that of the other apostles, although they play little or no role. The basic theme is the work of the Holy Spirit in the early history of Christianity. The book of Acts gives us the history of the Christian church as well as the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ,...
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...battle with what was reality. The color, light, and shadow of Bugiardini’s, Madonna and Child with St. John the Baptist, emits a naturalistic feel that is seen throughout the whole painting. The painting’s main colors of brown and green are abundantly found in nature, usually representing trees, grass, dirt, etc. Mary’s red and blue gown contrasts with the rest of the scenery, making her stand out while emitting a calm (blue) but emotional (red) tone. The colors in the painting also seem to tell a story with a dull, dark brown in most of the foreground, and more vivid greens in the background. This could represent current dark times, followed by a future containing bright, happier times. Many Southern arts contained action in the moment pictures, with dramatic pathos conveying a story or message, which roots back to the Greco Roman influences. The striking contrasts from light to dark, or tenebrism, near Mary’s leg covering was different than the previous gradual chiaroscuro. Jesus and St. John are hit with new, stronger...
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...Simon’s death may or may not have been murder, but Piggy was flat out murdered, both by Jack and his group or “tribe”. Simon is the Jesus-like person in the story, and Piggy was the man of reason in the group of boys that survived the plane crash. Simon is considered the christ-like figure in the Lord Of The Flies, but there are a few comparisons and differences between Simon and Jesus. “Although Jesus and Simon both die sacrificial deaths, Jesus was killed for his beliefs, whereas Simon is killed because of the other boys’ delusions. Jesus died after conveying his message to the world, where as Simon dies before he is able to speak to the boys. In the biblical tradition, Jesus died to alleviate the burden of mankind’s sin; Simon’s death,...
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...Among the five great religions to which nearly nine-tenths of present-day humanity belong, Buddhism and Christianity have been the most frequent subjects of comparison. And rightly so. Because, together with Islam, and unlike Hinduism and Chinese universism, they are “world religions,” that is to say, forms of belief that have found followers not merely in a single though vast country, but also in wide regions of the world. Buddhism and Christianity, however, differ from Islam in so far as, unlike the latter, they do not stress the natural aspects of world and man, but they wish to lead beyond them. A comparison between Buddhism and Christianity, however, proves so fruitful mainly because they represent, in the purest form, two great distinctive types of religion which arose East and West of the Indus valley. For two millennia, these religious systems have given the clearest expression of the metaphysical ideas prevalent in the Far East and in the Occident, respectively. The similarities between these two religions extend, if I see it rightly, essentially over three spheres: (1) the life history of the founder; (2) ethics; and (3) church history. 1. The biographies of Buddha and Christ show many similar features. Both were born in a miraculous way. Soon after their birth, their future greatness is proclaimed by a sage (Asita, Simeon). Both astonish their teachers through the knowledge they possess, though still in their early childhood. Both are...
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...thing that these two literary poems share is they both have a strong and excellent characterization. “Country Lovers” has events and circumstances of behavior and situations that “The Welcome Table does not have. Emphasizing the similarities in an essay defines its comparison and when you emphasize the differences in an essay you are defining the contrast. As I discuss these essays in my writing, you will note that there are some similarities but they are totally different. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast two literary stories, “The Welcome Table” by Alice Walker and “Country Lovers” by Nadine Gordimer. These two stories overall message is “engages the reader in inter-racial issues from a sociological and moral perspective” in “The Welcome Table”. When we look at the “Country Lovers” I think the message “engages the reader in the same inter-racial issues from a sociological but the perspective is psychological.” (p.69) These two pieces are similar in that they are both written in third person and they both have an effect of social and racial discrimination involved in them. As the author of both pieces intentions are to show the audience that separation of color was illegal when these stories was written, but they were not written to destroy lives or relationships. The writer reveals in these literary elements that living back in those days, love was not unconditional and the life of an individual could be very stressful. In “Country Lovers” we learn that...
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...form. It is often described as a platter, cauldron, stone, dish, chalice, and horn of plenty. When depicted as a cup, it is described as gold, studded with jewels (O’neal) “The Grail is perpetually treated as something strange, mysterious, awe-inspiring; not to be lightly spoken of” (King Arthur). This relic is a symbol or metaphor that came from medieval story tellers (Borg). The word “Grail” is derived from the Latin word “gradalis”, signifying a step-by-step descent (O’neal). It is thought of as source of healing, inspiration, and vision. Some say that Joseph of Arimethea knew the secrets...
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...Natalio Lopez Dr. Sandra Zalman Renaissance to Modern Art 9/14/2014 Lamentation Comparison If I hadn’t known what region Quentin Matsys painting had come from, I would still able to pick up on some aspects of the painting that hinted towards its origin. When looking at the people in the painting, I could see they were dressed in contemporary clothing immediately signaling to me that this painting was northern. Upon further observation of the painting I noticed that the artist focused on the small details that helped to show the realism. In the left bottom corner of the painting, I noticed that the woman’s hair was detailed enough to show that her hair was light and thin enough to see through clearly but still able to clearly see each hair strand was painted in great detail. The wounds on Jesus’s hands and feet helped point to the small details that describe the story of Jesus after his crucifixion. The way the painter positioned everybody helped to show perspective. The scene of Jesus being taken down from his crucifix with the thieves still in background up the hill helps depict the story. The background contained more details like individual clouds and the distant structure that helps to focus more on the realism of the story. The painting was drawn on a wooden panel with oils that allowed the artist to be more detailed with each brush stroke. The characteristics of the painting resemble characteristics that are common among northern...
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...desire to rebel against the word of the Lord. The opening parable of this chapter tells of two men from the same city, one rich and one poor. Rather than pick from his numerous flock and cattle, the rich man decided to take the only lamb of the poor man and feed it to his guest. King David, after hearing this story, was enraged and called for the man's death. It was Nathan, however, who explained to David that "he was this man." The repetition found in the parable revolves around a theme that is repeated throughout the Bible, and in a sense, foreshadows the sacrifice of Jesus as the Lamb of God. There is also heavy emphasis on the rich man and poor man, which seems to indicate a parallel between the power of the King, which Samuel had warned would be destructive, and the victimization of the poor man (1 Samuel 8:10), and the abuse of that power against the common man. There is also a comparison between the rich man's taking of the poor man's ewe lamb and David's taking of Uriah's wife, Bathsheba. The parable given by Nathan is considered a "juridical parable," and "This, says Uriel Simon, is the way a "juridical parable" is supposed to function--it is 'a realistic story about a violation of law, related to someone who had committed a similar offence with the purpose of leading the...
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